State Museum of North Sumatra

The State Museum of North Sumatra in Medan presents the history and cultures of the province through a broad collection gathered from its many peoples. Galleries display prehistoric tools, Hindu-Buddhist statuary, Islamic manuscripts and the crafts of groups such as the Batak, Malay, Nias and Mandailing, including carved houses, textiles, weapons and musical instruments. Colonial-era objects and natural history specimens round out the exhibits. Housed in a building whose facade echoes Batak architecture, it introduces the diverse ethnic.